Iwo Jima (LPH 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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Past Commanding Qfficer Captain Leland E. Kirkemo, USN, enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1942 and was commissioned as a Naval Aviator in 1944. From that time until attending the University of Minnesota in 1948 he served in three patrol squadrons, VPBa197,VPB-102 and VPHL-106. Following this he attended General Line School in Monterey and was subsequently selected for one of the first Heavy Attack Squadrons at NAS Moffett Field, California. In November 1952, after tours in Heavy Attack Squadron Seven and Sandia Base, he was assigned to the staff of Commander Heavy Attack Wing One at Norfolk, Virginia. This was followed in 1954 by a tour involving the development of aviation fire control com- ponents in Project Atlas at the Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, California. From NOTS China Lake Captain Kirkemo was assigned as an Air Command and Staff College student at the Air University, Maxwell Field, Alabama. Following this he reported to Commander Heavy Attack Wing Two for duty as Training Officer for one year then to Heavy Attack Squadron Two as Operations Officer. Captain Kirkemo assumed command of Heavy Attack Squadron Two in 1961 and assisted in the development of the Buddy Bombing concept within Air Wing Fifteen during two WestPac deployments on the USS Coral Sea lCVA-431. From this assign- ment he went to the staff of Commander in Chief, Pacific CCinCPacl where he served as the Operations Officer for the lCinCPacl Representative to the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff at Omaha, Nebraska. Upon completion of this tour in January 1964, he was again assigned to the Pacific Fleet, this time as the Commanding Officer of Heavy Attack Squadron 123, the West Coast Heavy Attack Replacement Air Group iRAGi Squadron. This tour was followed by assignment to the USS Constellation CCVA-647 as Operations Officer. ln March 1966 Captain Kirkemo commenced a Washington, D.C. tour in the Strategic Plans Division COP-601 of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Captain Kirkemo's most recent duty was a command tour as Commanding Officer of the USS Haleakala KAE-251 in the Pacific Fleet from September 1968 through November 1969. Captain Kirkemo is a graduate of the University of Omaha. He is married to the former Louise Liermann of Menomonie, Wisconsin who was previously an Army nurse on General MacArthur's staff in Tokyo. Their eldest son is a recent graduate of Washington State University. Another son, Curtis, and a daughter, Kathy, are under- graduates at the same university. i'

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Commanding Qflicer Captain Wycliffe D. Toole, Jr., U.S. Navy, was born in Augusta, Georgia. He studied at the University of South Carolina, the University of North Carolina and received his B.S. degree from the University of Maryland in 1955. ln addition, he has graduated from the U.S. Naval Intelligence School l1948l, the U.S. Naval Flight Program l1951l, the National War College l1967l and received his M.S. degree from George Washington University in 1967. On receiving his commission as an Ensign in 1946, he was assigned to the USS PAUL G. BAKEB lDE-6421. ln February 1947 he reported to the USS KLONDIKE lAD-221 followed by duty in USS GEORGE CLYMER lAPA-271. He returned to Washington, D.C. in 1948 and served until December 1949 at the Naval Com- munication Station. Captain Toole entered the Naval Flight Training Program in 1950 and received his wings in August 1951. He flew with Patrol Squadron TEN until February 1954, when he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations as liaison officer with the Headquarters, Directorate of Intelligence, United States Air Force. ln April 1957, he reported to the staff of Commander Middle East Force as Aide and Flag Lieutenant, ln December 1958 he joined Airborne Early Warning Squadron FOUR, the Navy's Hurricane Hunters . After flying two storm seasons, Captain Toole then reported in November 1960 for duty with the Bureau of Naval Personnel. ln June 1963, Captain Toole became Operations Officer of Patrol Squadron SEVEN. He subsequently served as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the squadron. ln August 1966, he attended the National War College. Upon graduation he was assigned as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Manpower, and in February 1968, was reassigned as Naval Aide and Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy lManpower and Reserve Affairsl. ln December 1969, he assumed command of USS MlSPlLLlON lAO-1051, a Jumboized Fleet Oiler. Captain Toole is married to the former Jane McGregor Brown of Greenville, N.D. and has three children. CAPTAIN WYCLIFFE D. TOOLE, JB. UNITED STATES NAVY 'g C -'1 l f 'l' -T-I-1' 'ii N-': 'Q 1 6 HUGE Dk udkq 1 -K-5 s., i ice is

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lparige O omrriand I:cbruaryl3,l97l FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For Further Information USS IWO JIMA ILPH-2l Release Af Public Affairs Officer Date: 13 FEB 1971 FPO San Francisco 96601 UNIQUE CEREMONY FOR IWO CHANGE OF COMMAND Rear Admiral W.D. GADDIS, USN, Commander of Pacific Amphibious Forces, was the guest speaker at the change of command ceremony in which Captain Wycliffe D. TOOLE, Jr., USN relieved Captain Leland E. KIRKEMO, USN as Commanding Officer of the USS IWO JIMA ILPH-21. The change of command ceremony was an unusual one, perhaps unique among US Navy ships. The normal ceremony, with all hands drawn up in smart ranks in the bright sunshine of the flight deck, could not be held due to IWO's operational committments that kept both ship and crew ready for instant action in a combat support role. The change of command ceremony was broadcast to all hands over the IWO's closed-circuit TV system. The TV system, normally used for shipboard training lectures and nightly enter- tainment, served as an admirable vehicle as the ceremony's principals in the TV studio were viewed by the crew in offices, lounges, and berthing compartments throughout the ship. 8